Gisette's Lyre
by AlettaOfIreland
Summary: An artifact, said to be cursed, was discovered in a Brazilian rain forest. Tintin, Snowy, the Captain and Professor Calculus go on an adventure to learn more about the object. Along the way, Tintin meets Maria, an aspiring archaeologist. TintinXOC
1. Chapter 1

**Hello. :) This is my first Tintin fic (which is actually my first fic posted on here) so, please go easy on me! I have read the books and watched the show when I was very little. However, I went to go see the new Tintin movie in 3D, and I really liked how the characters were expressed. So, that's pretty much what inspired the story. I still plan on including other characters like Professor Calculus and Bianca Castafiore, but the way I will portray Tintin and the Captain will mostly be like how they were portrayed in the movie. I just believe that Tintin's personality in the movie is a bit more appealing than in the comics (despite that, I will ALWAYS love the comics!)**

**So, yeah. :) Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

It seemed to be a busy day for everyone that day. Labrador Street was crowded with people constantly checking their watches, hurrying to their business, and rushing to call the nearest taxi. For Tintin, he had a call from Professor Calculus about his latest invention. Though, Tintin always wondered why he even bothered to waste his time rushing to see another ridiculous idea that the nutty Professor came up with. Perhaps it was to spice up his day, or just simply to find an excuse to leave the house. Either way, Tintin was always looking for something interesting to happen.

While making his way to the laboratory, Tintin grabbed a newspaper and flipped through the pages. The most exciting story he found was about some woman who lost her cat.

"Terrible," he muttered as he rolled up the article. "Simply terrible."

As a journalist, Tintin felt ashamed that there couldn't be a more adventurous article in the paper that someone wanted to share with the world. Though, nothing overly interesting was happening lately, so it was hard to find inspiration to write a story that was interesting enough to make the front page.

He looked at his feet to find Snowy happily trotting along beside him. He was carrying a twig in his mouth that he picked up earlier. During their stroll, the little dog has been throwing the stick around and catching it to amuse himself. At least Snowy found something to be excited about, Tintin thought.

Before knocking on the door to the laboratory, Tintin took a deep breath; only God knows what ridiculous idea the Professor came up with. He waited, but there was no response. He knocked again. Still, no answer. Then, Tintin remembered about the Professor's impaired hearing. So, he decided to let himself in.

"Who's there?" the Professor called. Snowy pranced into the room and pawed at the ends of the man's pants to say hello. "Why, hello there Snowy! Tintin, is that you?"

"Hello, Professor." Tintin greeted. "You wanted to show me your invention?"

"My pension? What on earth would you possibly want to know about my pension?" Calculus muttered, clearly mishearing the boy. "Anyway, I would like to show you what I have recently created!"

The silly man went over to his work area and held up an object that looked like a remote with an antenna sticking out at the end. On the remote, there was a screen that blinked in a steady rhythm with jagged lines moving across. Tintin observed the object, trying to figure out what possible purpose it could provide.

"It's very… interesting, Professor." Tintin said unsurely. "But, what is it?"

"Tintin! How dare you use such foul language towards my mechanism?" The man fumed, obviously mishearing the boy once again. "I call it the Fusion-powered Volt Pulse Monitor. With this device, you can immediately tell if the person it lying or telling the truth by watching the levels on the remote!" Tintin gave the man an incredulous look.

"I hate to appear unsupportive," Tintin made sure he would annunciate every word he said. "But haven't they already made a lie detector?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Tintin!" Calculus scolded. "This is much more efficient than your typical lie detector! Every time your heart beats, the device will beep with each pulse! The levels displayed here are what measure your breathing rate, your blood pressure, and your perspiration levels. It will even tell the temperature of your body! Do you know of any lie detectors that can do all of that on a small screen?"

"Actually," Tintin held the remote and observed the screen. Snowy woofed at the beeping the device made and cocked his head in curiosity. "This seems to be quite efficient. It's very innovative, Professor."

"I worked very hard on it," Calculus smiled contently to himself. "I knew you would be interested in it."

"You've really outdone yourself!" Tintin laughed and handed the device back to the man. "I can't believe it, actually."

"Yes, well, as amazing as my invention is," he placed his creation on a nearby desk. "That is not what I called you over here for." He led Tintin to a map spread out across a table. There was a red needle pinned in a location in South America and a few notes scribbled along the sides of the page.

"I was talking to a dear friend of mine, Professor Bruno Medina, who is a well-known archaeologist in South America. He recently uncovered an artefact on one of his expeditions to an ancient rainforest in Brazil, and he is going to present it in front of the press tonight at eight o'clock. I was wondering if you and Captain Haddock would be interested in joining me at the presentation."

"I would love to, Professor." Tintin happily accepted. At least a new artefact is more likely to make front page than a missing cat, he thought.

"I thought you would say that," Calculus said, pleased with himself. "I know you're always looking for an interesting story!"

"Well," Tintin sighed. "With the way things are going lately, anything will seem interesting."

"I hear the restaurant down the street serves good soup." Calculus mentioned, once again mishearing the young journalist. "But Tintin, this is a very important discovery! This could lead to even more discoveries!"

"I'm aware of that Professor," Tintin sighed in frustration. He made an effort to gesture to the professor about adjusting his hearing aid. "Do you know anything else about this artefact that Professor Medina found?" Calculus scratched his head.

"The only thing that I heard about it is that it supposedly used to be possessed by an evil power. It would be interesting to find more about it, yes?"

"Indeed…" Tintin murmured in thought. This was definitely a start to a new adventure; he could feel it. Snowy started wagging his tail and panted in excitement.

"You thinking what I'm thinking, Snowy?" Tintin looked at his furry friend. Snowy barked and thumped his tail on the ground in response.

"Thanks for the information, Professor!" he said in excitement. "I already have ideas for an exciting story! I'll see you tonight!" With that, he eagerly scampered off.

A beep came from the monitor.

_There has been a slight decrease in temperature in the facial region, _said the voice of the machine.

"Oh my," Calculus adjusted his glasses. "I suppose I should take my pills."

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><p>"It looks like we found our story, Snowy." Tintin declared as he made his way back to Labrador Street. Snowy barked in response and playfully hopped around his owner's feet. "There will be no more stories about lost kittens, that's for sure." He threw his rolled up newspaper in the trash.<p>

"A cursed artefact that was discovered in a Brazillian rainforest… how curious." Tintin thought aloud. "I bet there's an elaborate story behind this that's dying to be uncovered. I've always wanted to travel to Brazil! I wonder if the Professor plans on taking a trip there at some point… I'll ask him at the presentation tonight."

He opened the door to the apartment and saw Mrs. Finch coming down the stairs. This was unusual, since Mrs. Finch never went upstairs unless she was selling a new room to someone. As far as Tintin was concerned, all the rooms were taken, so this puzzled him.

"Mrs. Finch," Tintin said to her. "I thought you were no longer renting rooms out to anyone?"

"Yes, well…" Mrs. Finch cleared her throat. "Someone recently moved out of one of the rooms upstairs, so I sold it to a young lady just a few moments ago. It's in the room across from yours, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't disturb her stay here."

"Oh," Tintin said. "I see."

"Now go about your business, boy. I have a cup of cocoa heating up on the stove." With that, she left to the kitchen. Tintin chuckled at the landlady and he continued up the stairs.

"Back to business, I guess." He chuckled. "We should make a quick stop to the library before the presentation, right Snowy?" Snowy barked in reply. Then, Tintin felt his shoulder get pushed into the wall and heard several objects hitting the ground.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" said a feminine voice.

"No, I should be apologizing!" Tintin insisted as he helped her pick up her things. Most of the objects were books and sheets of paper shuffled all along the stairs. The sheets of paper were all sketches, detailed at that. They were mostly of animals: birds, monkeys, lions, and many more exotic creatures. He neatly stacked them together and handed them to her.

"Did you draw these?" he asked, looking at some of the pages.

"Um… yes, I did."

He fixed his focus up and his eyes widened.

The young lady appeared to be fairly tall, though she was shorter than Tintin. She had long, golden hair that gracefully fell past her narrow shoulders. She seemed to be thin, but she wasn't completely shapeless. For a willowy figure, she appeared to be in good physical shape. Her cheek bones were defined and when she smiled her dimples showed, which distinguished the fact that she wasn't very old; late teens to early twenties, Tintin assumed. Just above the left side of her lip was a beauty mark, like Marilyn Monroe's. Her lips were smaller than most girls, tinted lightly with a red lipstick. She was wearing a dark blue, casual cotton day dress that had a white bow tied in the back and she wore a black jacket over top. But, what fascinated him the most was her deep, blue eyes. They were like the daytime sky, or the depths of the ocean. They had a sense of adventure and mystery hidden within them, which, as everyone knows, is what fascinates Tintin the most.

"I know they aren't the best," she said modestly. "But I'm hoping I could improve."

"I think they're very good." Tintin said in a flustered manner. He started to awkwardly scratch the back of his head. The girl giggled.

"I'm glad you think so." She said. "Would you mind grabbing that novel? It fell over there."

"Ah, yes! Of course!" Tintin obediently picked it up and admired the cover. His jaw dropped when he read the title.

"You're reading _Les Miserables_ by Victor Hugo?" Tintin gasped. "This is one of the greatest books ever written! It's a classic- no, a _masterpiece! _I couldn't put it down. It took me a long time to finish, but it was definitely worth the time! I've always wanted my own copy of the book. "

"You may borrow it, if you'd like," the girl offered. "I'd be happy to lend it to you."

A giddy smile crept across his face. "Thank you," He heard a bark from Snowy and he looked down to see that his little terrier was carrying a wallet. He grabbed it from the dog's mouth and he glanced at the ID card.

"Your name is Eponine?" he said aloud. "Like the character in _Les Miserables_?" The girl chuckled.

"Yes, my parents also enjoyed the book." she said, taking the wallet. "Though, I prefer to be called by my middle name, since it's easier to remember. Maria Henry is what most people call me."

"It's a pleasure, Miss Henry." Tintin said politely as he held out his hand.

"The pleasure is all mine, Mister…?"

"Tintin," he answered. "My name is Tintin."

"How unique," Maria smiled warmly at him and shook his hand. She was a classy, mature young woman, who was clearly confident in herself. Tintin's cheeks flushed with color as he nervously chuckled.

"Er… um… I don't believe I've seen you around here before." He said.

"I just moved here," she said. "I've been studying to be an archaeologist. One of my greatest inspirations has recently made a visit here and I've been _dying _to meet him! So, I've decided to finish some of my courses here and then I'll hopefully get a chance to work with him."

"That must be exciting," Tintin said.

"Yes, I'm very excited!" Maria checked her watch. "Shoot, I'm late… Well, it was very nice meeting you Tintin, but I have to hurry to my lecture. Take care!" With that, the young lady strode down the stairs and out the door. Tintin smiled, somewhat proud that he made a new friend. He looked down at Snowy, who tilted his head in curiosity.

"Fascinating, wasn't she?" he said to his little friend. Snowy panted and happily wagged his tail in agreement. Tintin patted the puppy on the head. "We should probably get going. I want to look more into this story about cursed artefacts."

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><p><strong>I hope you guys liked it. :) Feel free to tell me how what you think!<strong>

**Please no flaming! I wrote this strictly for my own enjoyment and I wanted to share it with everyone on here. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the kind reviews, favs and alerts! I've decided that I really do want to continue this!**

**I'm not going to lie; I don't like this chapter very much. It was mostly because I had to somehow portray Maria's character without completely turning her into a Mary Sue (or a "Maria Sue"! You c wut I did thar? XD I'm so sorry…). I promise this will get more interesting once the plot actually picks up. Trust me!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong> 

The library was surprisingly busy. There were several people around Tintin's age – possibly university students – sitting at tables and collecting stacks of thick textbooks for studying. Tintin has noticed that there were a lot more university students appearing around town more than usual lately. He suspected that they must have attended the same university as Maria.

"It says in this book that the ancient civilizations in Brazil practiced black magic and voodoo," Tintin said to Snowy, not really expecting any response. "I wonder if that had anything to do with this object that Professor Medina uncovered…"

Several books later, Tintin came across a story that that seemed to accurately describe exactly what he was looking for: the story of the Mummer and the Three Gifts.

_There were once three princesses that lived in a palace. They were named Abelia, Kyris, and Gisette. These three princesses ruled over a very poor village, who barely survived on the scarce resources available. The citizens would visit the palace with offers to work for the princesses in exchange for resources and money._

_Abelia was the oldest. She wore only the finest dresses sewn by the most skilled tailors. On her birthday, she demanded that the entire kingdom brought her fancy jewellery and other accessories to match all of her dresses. If one didn't bring her what she wanted, they were banished from ever visiting the palace again._

_Kyris was the second oldest. Similar to her older sister, she was very selfish and rude to the commoners. To feed her large gut, she demanded the best-tasting food from the greatest chefs. On her birthday, which was the day after Abelia's, she demanded that the entire kingdom brought her gourmet meals and endless buffets. If one did not fulfill her wishes, she also banished them from visiting the palace._

_Gisette, the youngest, was nothing like her sisters. She was always treated unfairly by her sisters since they were little. Abelia and Kyris were jealous of the fact that she was the most beautiful out of all three of the princesses. She did not demand anything from the villagers; in fact, on her birthday, which was the day after Kyris', she would sing for the villagers and she aided those who were struggling to survive. She kept her actions a secret from her sisters, for she would have been ridiculed even more for her actions. The villagers loved her dearly._

_One day, there was a drought throughout the kingdom. The princesses were receiving more visits than usual from the townsfolk, since they had no drinking water and their crops began to wither away. The princesses became overwhelmed from so many demands and they didn't know what to do. Then, an unusual visitor stopped by the castle._

_The princesses came across a mummer carrying a sack. The mummer wore a white mask with a black robe. He claimed that he had brought a gift for each of the princesses._

_He brought a jade mirror for Abelia, a silver bowl for Kyris, and a golden lyre for Gisette._

_The beholder of the jade mirror was granted the ability to change their outside appearance by simply looking into it and envisioning what they desire to become. Abelia used this to create any dress that she could possibly imagine._

_The silver bowl could transform even a loaf of bread into a glorious, delectable meal, which could satisfy even Kyris' gluttonous hunger._

_The golden lyre was used to play magical melodies, those of which could cure the diseased. Gisette loved to write songs, so she played the instrument to her heart's content._

_However, these gifts all came with a condition: After the use of their gift, the princesses must perform an act of selflessness or they would meet an ill fate. For Gisette, this would not be a challenge. For her sisters, there was a problem._

_Abelia spent hours by herself creating dresses, and Kyris stuffed herself with endless meals like a swine. Gisette first tried to convince her sisters to help the suffering villagers, but they never listened to her. She warned them several times about what the mummer told them, but it was no use._

_After selfishly abusing their gifts, Abelia and Kyris were disturbed with nightmares. They were driven mad. They both became homicidal, as if they were possessed by an evil demon. The poor village suffered from the violent behaviour of the two deranged princesses. Homes were destroyed, and parents of young children were slaughtered. All hope was lost for the villagers._

_Gisette was helpless. She could not heal her self-centred sisters and she could not save the citizens. She decided that she had to run away and never return._

_Gisette fled and she brought her lyre with her. But, she vowed to never play it again. She did not want to risk awakening the evil demon spirit within her instrument. No one knew where she went after she left, and she was never found again._

"Great snakes…" Tintin gasped. "This is incredible! I must show this to the professor!"

After closing the book, Tintin looked at a nearby clock.

"The Presentation starts in less than an hour…" Tintin muttered as he picked up the book. "Come on, Snowy, looks like we better get ready and go get Captain Haddock!" Snowy perked up his ears and followed after his owner, who sprinted out of the library.

**xXx**

The presentation was held in a small auditorium. Several members of the press were there with their note pads and massive cameras. Tintin also recognized a few of the university students from the library earlier.

"This better be good…" Captain Haddock grumbled as he tugged on his tie. "I can't stand being around the press! If only I brought some whiskey…"

"Captain, please." Tintin hushed. "This is important."

A man in a black suit stood up at the podium and tapped into the microphone.

"Good evening," he greeted. "We would like to welcome one of the well-respected archaeologists of South America, Professor Bruno Medina." The introduction was followed by applause from the crowd.

Professor Medina was a very big man. He was taller than Tintin by at least five inches and he was overweight. He seemed to be in his mid to late forties with a thick moustache and a pair of glasses. His skin was dark, which showed his different ethnicity. His face was obviously aged with his skin textured like leather. Beside him on a pedestal was an object being covered by a red cloth.

"He hasn't changed much since I saw him last," Professor Calculus chuckled to Tintin. "It wouldn't hurt if he lost a few pounds, though…"

"I would like to thank you all for attending the presentation tonight," Professor Medina had a slight Spanish accent. Tintin made sure that he would pay close attention so he would understand the man. "While I was on an expedition to the Brazilian rainforests, we were exploring the depths of the Cajara ruins and we came across this particular artefact." He slipped the red cloth off and flashes from cameras lit up the auditorium. Tintin couldn't believe his eyes when he saw what was revealed.

"Great snakes!" he gasped. "That's the jade mirror!"

"Are you familiar with this object, Tintin?" Professor Calculus asked.

"I did some research at the library," Tintin explained into Calculus' hearing aid. "According to an old South American legend, this object once belonged to one of three princesses who had it given to her as a gift. It was believed that the object was cursed and the evil spirit possessed the Princess."

"Ah," Calculus scratched his beard. "So you've read the story about the Mummer and the Three Gifts?"

"You know about it, Professor?" Tintin asked, surprised.

"I once heard the story long ago," Calculus said thoughtfully. "I came across it one day while I was conducting some research. From what I've discovered, the legend is very well-known in some small Brazilian villages. Even now, there are still some people that make offerings for the spirit of the princesses."

"Interesting," Tintin mumbled in thought. "Isn't that right, Captain?" The Captain appeared to be in a trance. Tintin waved his hand in front of the man's eyes. "Captain…?"

"Why, hello there!" chimed a familiar voice. "Fancy seeing you here!"

Tintin turned around and saw that it was Maria standing behind him. He felt his chest flutter with excitement as he smiled at the young lady.

"Ah, hello, Miss Henry." he said, trying to compose himself.

"What brings you to the presentation?" she asked. Tintin placed his hands in his pockets awkwardly.

"Well, I'm a journalist." He said, trying to sound as modest as he could. "I was looking for an interesting story, so I came here to find out more about the artefact."

"You're a journalist?" she said. "That must be an interesting job."

"Are ye kiddin' me, lass?" Captain Haddock flapped his arm over Tintin's shoulder. "Tintin has been all across the globe! You don't know how many times I had to keep him out of trouble!"

"Please, Captain…" Tintin pinched the bridge of his nose in embarrassment.

"I don't believe we've met." Maria said to the Captain. "Who might you be?"

"This is Captain Haddock," Tintin reluctantly introduced. "Captain, this is Maria, a student aspiring to be an archaeologist. She recently moved into the apartment next to mine."

"It's a pleasure," Maria politely greeted.

"No lassie," Captain Haddock clumsily took her hand and he squished his lips against the back of it. "The pleasure is all mine. What is such a delightful lady doing in a place like this?"

"I'm here to see Professor Medina, of course!" she said, holding up a book that read _Uncovering Secrets with Bruno Medina._ "I've been following his studies ever since I was a little girl. He has inspired me to travel around the world and discover all kinds of interesting places. I've always wanted to meet him in person!" _Of course_, Tintin thought. _That must have been the person that she was talking about on the stairs earlier._

"So, I take it that you're quite adventurous." she asked. "I wish my life was that exciting."

"Well," Tintin said. "When you become an archaeologist, you will have plenty of excitement in your life."

"I sure hope you're right," Maria said. "Next to becoming an archaeologist, travelling the world is what I've always dreamed of doing. I want to see all of world's natural wonders. I want to explore ancient ruins, sleep in a cave, bathe under a waterfall, and hold an exotic bird. I especially want to see the different kinds of animals!" Tintin was amazed at the passion in her voice and body language.

"Well," Tintin said, grinning. "If you would like any suggestions, talk to me. As the captain said, I've been all across the globe." Maria giggled.

"Maybe over some coffee?" she offered with a playful tone in her voice. Tintin's eyes widened and he scratched the back of his head.

"W-well…" he stuttered, caught off guard.

"Tintin!" called Professor Calculus, who was chatting with Professor Medina. "Could you come here for a minute?" Tintin sighed, both in frustration and in slight relief.

"Excuse me for a moment," he dismissed himself and made his way towards him.

They seemed to be catching up from their younger years, judging from the stories they were sharing between each other. Professor Calculus noticed Tintin and immediately brought him into the conversation.

"Tintin!" he welcomed. "We were just talking about you! I was telling Professor Medina about your adventures and all of the stories you've written. He is actually quite familiar with your work." Professor Medina reached out his hand to Tintin in greeting.

"Hello, Mr. Tintin." Professor Medina said. His grip was firm. "I've heard a lot about you. I also hear that you need some inspiration."

"Yes sir," Tintin formally replied. "I've been looking for an interesting idea for a story, and I was wondering if I could document some information on your discovery."

"That would work just fine," Professor Medina nodded. "What would you like to know?"

"For starters," Tintin started, gathering the knowledge he collected from the library. "Are you familiar with the story of Mummer and the Three Gifts?"

"Indeed," Medina nodded in thought. "I visited a village of some of the native people of the territory, and they treat the story as some sort of religion. According to my research, the other artefacts – or "gifts", as addressed in the story – are hidden in the same area where we found the mirror. It's believed by the natives that if one were to come in contact with one of the three gifts, they will be possessed with evil as the princesses were."

"Fascinating," Tintin muttered, inspiration already stirring up in his head

"I would like to make another expedition to the rainforests as soon as possible to investigate the discovery further." Medina explained. "We also plan on searching for the other gifts. Since you seem to be rather thorough with your research, would you be interested in accompanying me?"

"I would love to." Tintin accepted. He looked over at Maria, who was, quite obviously, getting caught up into a conversation with the Captain. She forced out a chuckle or two at the lame jokes he was making in attempt to impress her. Tintin chuckled at the scene.

"If you don't mind, Professor," Tintin said hopefully. "I would like to introduce you to someone who I believe would also be interested in accompanying you." Professor Medina nodded and granted Tintin permission. Tintin brought the man over to Maria and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Miss Henry," he said in anticipation. "There is someone I believe you would like to meet." When the young lady turned around, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in awe.

"Professor Medina," Tintin said. "This is Maria Henry, an aspiring archaeologist. She has wanted to meet you for a very long time."

"P-professor Medina!" Maria greeted. Her body language was quite animated, in contrast to her collected nature. Tintin quietly chuckled; she was so filled with life for such a composed young lady. Her dimples creased within her cheeks as she smiled eagerly at the Professor. "I loved the presentation! I have been following your research ever since I was a little girl! You are truly an inspiration to me! Ever since you made the discovery of the lost Incan tombs, I have always wanted to be an archaeologist! I even moved here to finish my history classes at the university. Oh, and your latest discovery- brilliant! Simply, brilliant!" The elderly man chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"I'm very flattered," he said. "I was just talking with Tintin about accompanying me on my next expedition. You seem to be good friends with him; would you like to join me on my next trip?" Maria looked at Tintin, grinned and then she nodded her head in thrill.

"I would be _honoured!_" She with excitement.

"That's wonderful to hear," Medina smiled at Maria and then he directed his attention to the whole group. "I would like to invite the four of you to dinner tomorrow night with myself and my fellow researchers. I want to help Tintin with his story, and I would also like to get to know my possible… _future apprentice_." He looked at Maria with a hinting expression.

Maria's eyes widened at the word _apprentice._ "Are you serious, sir?"

"Only if I will be seeing you at dinner tomorrow night." He said whole-heartedly. "Please dress formally, since the Milanese Nightingale will be performing at the restaurant. I look forward to seeing all of you there." With that, he waved to the company and made his way through cameras and voice recorders that were being shoved into his face.

**xXx**

"Blistering Barnacles…" Captain Haddock smacked his palm onto his forehead. "Not Bianca Castafiore!"

"Captain, enough with the foul language!" Calculus scolded. "You will be attending the dinner and you are going to like it!" Maria and Tintin shared a laugh at the two as they were walking home.

"How long have you known Professor Medina, Professor Calculus?" Maria asked.

"It's musty, you say?" he adjusted his glasses and sniffed the air. "I don't smell anything." Maria cocked her eyebrow in confusion.

"Please excuse him," Tintin said awkwardly. "The Professor has impaired hearing."

"Tintin, what does sheep shearing have anything to do with it being musty outside?" Calculus asked. "Anyways, I'm sure you all a very tired after today. Go home and get some rest. We have a busy evening tomorrow! Don't forget to dress nice!"

Professor Calculus grabbed the Captain by the arm and dragged him home, leaving Tintin and Maria to walk home by themselves. Maria turned to Tintin with a warm smile. Tintin held his breath, unprepared to be alone with the charming young lady.

"About what you did today," Maria explained. "You don't know how much it meant to me to be introduced to my role model. I have literally waited my whole life to even see _the _Professor Medina in person. Now, because of you, he is considering making me his apprentice! This is so much better than what I imagined. I don't know how to repay you." Tintin allowed a smile to pull at his mouth and his eyes darted to the ground.

"It wasn't any trouble," he said modestly. "There's no need to repay me, really."

"Don't be like that," she sighed. "If I successfully become an archaeologist, it will all be because of you. At least allow me to do something." They both walked into the apartment building and walked upstairs to their rooms. They both stood outside their doors, facing each other, waiting for the other to say something. Tintin decided to break the ice.

"If anything comes to mind, I will let you know." Tintin said. Maria placed her hand on his arm. Tintin held his breath again, caught off guard. He never really noticed it before, but she smelled like pine trees and rain. It was a very refreshing, natural sort of aroma.

"Have a wonderful night, Tintin." She smiled sweetly at him. Snowy barked to get her attention. She bent down and ran her fingers through his fur. "You too, little guy! I will see you tomorrow night!" With that, she unlocked the door to her room and went inside. Tintin smiled, congratulating himself. This was why Tintin loved his job so much; not only does it bring the thrill of adventure, but he always meets the most interesting people.

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><p><strong>Like I said before, I didn't enjoy writing this Chapter very much. I'm sorry if I didn't develop Maria very much… I was attempting to make a likable character without making her seem too… Mary Sue-ish. The next chapter will be better, I promise! Thanks again for the kind reviews!<strong>


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